SERMON OUTLINE

The Signs of Advent (3)

The Original Participants Assorted Verses

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.

Luke 1.32-33

You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.    Matthew 1.21

What Was Said About Them and What They Said About Jesus

Zechariah – Luke 1.5-25, (Isaiah 40.3; Malachi 3.1; 4.5-6)

Mary and Gabriel – Luke 1.26-38

Mary and Elizabeth – Luke 1.39-56

John and Zechariah – Luke 1.57-80

Joseph and Mary – Matthew 1.18-25

Caesar Augustus – Luke 2.1-3

Jesus is born – Luke 2.4-7

Shepherds – Luke 2.8-20

Simeon and Anna – Luke 2.21-38

Magi and Herod – Matthew 2.1-12

Egypt and Nazareth – Matthew 2.13-23; Luke 2.39-40

Conclusion

The birth of Jesus was the beginning of the working out of  God’s purposes which would ultimately be worked out at the cross and the resurrection. God will complete His purposes when Christ returns to establish the kingdom of God. Do you have the seal of God’s Spirit in your life that proves that you are one of His people?

SERMON NOTES

Series: The Signs of Advent (3)

The Original Participants Assorted Scriptures

-Two weeks ago we reviewed some of the OT prophesies which pointed to the Advent of Jesus Christ and the coming of God’s promised salvation to a lost humanity.

-Last week we reviewed together God’s final preparations during the 400 silent years between the OT and the NT.

-This morning we are going to meet the original participants in the Advent of Christ and we are going to listen to what is said about them and what they have to say about Jesus. Listen and enjoy as I tell you the original Christmas story.

-The Advent of Christ began with a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. One day as Zechariah was serving as a priest before God at the Temple in Jerusalem he was chosen to go into the Temple and burn incense on the altar of incense. This was an honor that was likely to happen only once in the lifetime of a priest. As Zechariah burned the incense the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that his wife Elizabeth, who had no children and who was well along in years, was going to have a child in answer to their prayer. Zechariah was to name the child John. Here is what Gabriel said about John, “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine of other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1.14-17) John was to be the messenger prophesied by Isaiah (40.3) and Malachi (3.1; 4.5-6) that would prepare the way of the Lord.

-Six months later, God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth to announce to a young girl named Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. Here is what Gabriel said to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1.30-35) Gabriel also told Mary that Elizabeth, who was a relative of hers, was also pregnant. Mary decided to take the long journey from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea to visit Elizabeth.

-When Mary got to Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth we are told in Scripture that “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1.41-45)

–Mary’s jubilant response is recorded for us. Here is a part of what Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, …God has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” (Luke 1.46, 54-55)

-Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, probably staying until John was born. After the birth of John, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied about what God was doing through the circumstances of John’s birth. “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us – to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” (Luke 1.67-75)

-When Mary returned to Nazareth she was “showing”. Her pregnancy became public information. “Who got Mary pregnant? What happened on that three month trip south to visit Elizabeth?” Everyone wondered about Mary’s pregnancy while her fiancé Joseph grieved. Mary’s story was that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that she was going to give birth to the Messiah. Joseph could not believe Mary’s astonishing story and decided to divorce her quietly so that Mary would not be publicly disgraced. An angel paid a visit to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1.20-21) Joseph believed the angel and took Mary home as his wife.

-As Mary was coming to “full term” and ready to have her baby, God moved Caesar Augustus to issue a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This census required Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem to register because they were from the family of David. When they arrived in Bethlehem the time came for Jesus to be born. There was no room for them in the inn so Jesus was born in a stable. Mary bundled up the newborn baby in clean cloth and placed him in a manger.

-There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night and an angel appeared to them, likely Gabriel again, and this is what he said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ (the Messiah; the anointed One) the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2.8-12) Suddenly a great company of angels appeared with Gabriel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 2.13-14) When the angels left, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger just as the angel had said.

-Joseph found a house for the family to live in. According to Jewish Law, eight days after Jesus was born Joseph took him to the Temple so He could be circumcised and named. Then 40 days after the birth of Jesus the family returned to the Temple to make an offering for Mary’s purification (Leviticus 12) and to offer Jesus their firstborn to the Lord (Exodus 13.1-2).

-While they were in the Temple they met a righteous and devout man named Simeon. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen God’s “Anointed One”. When Simeon saw Jesus he took Him into his arms and praised God saying, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2.29-32)

-During the pregnancy and birth of Mary, Magi from the East were following a star that they believed would lead them to the one who was to born the King of the Jews. The star led them to Jerusalem where they told Herod about the star and their mission to find the King of the Jews. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law told the Magi that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, so the Magi went in that direction. As they went along, the star they had seen in the East reappeared and led them to a house where Jesus was living with Joseph and Mary. The wise men were not present at the birth of Jesus, and the house where they found Jesus may not even have been in Bethlehem. The Bible does not specify that there were three wise men.

-After worshipping Jesus and offering Him their gifts the Magi returned to their country without telling Herod where Jesus was living. When Herod found out that the Magi had not informed him of Jesus’ location he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. Before this massacre took place an angel warned Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt for their own protection. Soon after arriving in Egypt Herod died and an angel told Joseph to return to the land of Israel and Joseph returned to his home town of Nazareth. Jesus grew up in Nazareth and we do not meet Jesus again in Scripture until he is twelve years old.

-What a great story and what an important story! This is the story of how God came to earth in order to save His creation from damnation. Did you notice how God moved a star, and the hearts of a king, and people’s circumstances, in order to fulfill His plan to save His people? We saw last week how God brought kingdoms to power and then put kingdoms down again in order to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

-If I ended this morning with the birth of Jesus I would not be telling you all of God’s purposes in Jesus Christ. This true story of the birth of Jesus is only the beginning of God’s purposes in Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Acts 2.22-23.

-I hope you have noticed by now that the birth of Jesus Christ was not just a coincidence but was prophesied, prepared and accomplished by God. This verse teaches us that the death of Christ on the cross was also according to God’s set purpose and foreknowledge. As God arranged every detail of the birth of Christ, so God arranged every detail of the death of Christ on the cross and of the resurrection that followed.

-I want you to realize one thing this morning as we gather around the Lord’s Table. The God of creation, Who created us in His image and then lost us to sin, promised to come and save us. Over 2000 years ago God came to earth and lived among us as Jesus, and then died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sin, to save us from sin, and to win us back to God. The birth of Christ, the death of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ, all happened according to God’s prophecies, purpose, preparation and plan.

-The Bible says that we are all sinners in need of a Savior and that Jesus Christ is the only Savior that God has provided for sin. The Bible also tells us that Jesus is coming back to get those who belong to Him because they have trusted Him to save them from sin. Do you have the seal of God’s Holy Spirit in your life that marks you as belonging to Jesus? If you do not have the Holy Spirit in your life there is still time for you to come to Jesus your Savior.

-As God arranged every detail of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so God will arrange every detail of the final return of Christ. God is doing that right now. The return of Christ will happen according to God’s prophecies, preparation and plan. I am anxiously awaiting that glorious day. Will you wait with me and work with me to enlarge the kingdom of God until that day comes?

Communion